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Message: <blockquote data-quote="3catcircus" data-source="post: 5829928" data-attributes="member: 16077">Two WordsTwilight:2013.If you want a hit point system that is less abstract than D&D currently has, all you need to do is read the system used by Twilight:2013."Base hp" is based solely on their equivalent of STR and CON.  With average STR and CON of 10, Base HP would be (10 + STR + 2*Con)/4 = 10 hp.  There are no hp increases like you would get as you go up in level in D&D.Next, you take those base hp and use multiples of them to trip different wound thresholds (they are a bit more complex since they use hit locations in the core TW:2013 rules, so different locations have different thresholds, but in the less-complex Stage I rules, they use the torso only, which we could use here for illustrative purposes).Take 1 hp of damage and you suffer a slight wound.  Take base hp of damage and you suffer a medium wound, 2x base hp and you take a serious wound, 3x base hp and you suffer a critical wound.Where this system diverges from a standard hp system is that you don't just add up damage until you reach each threshold - they are independent based upon each wound by itself.  So - you could take 1 hp of damage to the head with one hit and have a slight wound there, while an attack that did 12 hp of damage to the arm causes a medium wound there.  Taking a 2nd wound of the same type to the same location causes the wound category to increase, but then another wound of the same type would be a non-issue since you are already suffering a higher level wound.Each type of wound category does certain things - from just impairing your activities (penalties to skill checks, attacks, etc.), to causing you to lose the use of your limbs or changing your maximum movement rate, to incapacitation.  There are rules for going into shock and for bleeding out.So, an example:Our hero is facing off against a gnoll.The hero has STR 16 and CON 15, so his base hp is 14.The gnoll has STR 15 and CON 13, so his base hp is 12.The hero attacks first and does 10 points of damage to the gnoll, resulting in a slight wound.  The gnoll is now suffering a slight wound, so all his physical actions are at a -1 penalty.The gnoll attacks at -1 penalty and manages to hit the hero for 5 hp of damage, so the hero is also at a -1 penalty.The hero's next attack is a critical hit and he ends up doing 15 points of damage.  This is more than the gnoll's base hp, so he ends up suffering a medium wound.  The gnoll is now -2 to all physical checks and must make a check or go into shock.  The gnoll fails, but fails by only a single point.  The gnoll loses his attack this round due to going into shock.The hero presses his advantage and scores a hit, doing 10 points of damage.  Since the gnoll already took a slight wound, this second slight wound results in another medium wound, so he must make a check or go into shock.  Unfortunately (again at a -2 penalty), he fails and goes into shock again - but - since he was already in shock, any additional effect of going into shock now is going to make him unstable.  The gnoll is beginning to bleed out.  He loses his attack this round also.  At the end of this round, the gnoll's wound level increase to serious.  He is now at -3 to all physical checks but manages to make his check to avoid shock/instability.The next round, the hero attacks and scores another slight wound (causing 6 hp of damage).  The gnoll, at a -3 penalty, fails to hit.  At the end of this round, still bleeding out, the gnoll's wound level increases to critical and he is at a -4 penalty to all physical checks.  He fails his shock/instability check and the death spiral continues.  At the end of the round, the gnoll's critical wound level increases and the gnoll expires.Had the gnoll succeeded at his first shock check or a had another gnoll applied some first aid when the gnoll first began to become unstable, the outcome of this battle could have been different - either lasting longer or even ending with the hero dead.Additionally, the basic combat system would need to be tweaked to be similar to TW:2013's in that the amount that your attack roll exceeds the number needed to hit would need to be added to your damage, in order to prevent things degenerating into a slap-fight.</blockquote>

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